Coronavirus May Have Mutated to Become More Infectious. What Does That Mean for a Vaccine?

Scientists believe there are two types of the COVID-19-causing coronavirus, with one more infectious than the other. The mutation affects the spike protein on the virus's surface, which it uses to invade our cells, according to the study published in the journal Cell.

The study raises questions about the development of vaccines focusing on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Would, for instance, basing research on what may be a less infectious or dominant form of the virus be a waste of time? However, experts told...